Many technology stocks have a reputation for resisting dividend payments. In fact, some new tech companies in this high-growth sector do not earn profits at all. Case in point, investors will likely find both high yields and dividend growth if they invest in AT&T (NYSE: T), International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM), and Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM).

Venezuelan authorities have jailed three local DirecTV executives under an arrest warrant issued after the Dallas-based company abruptly cut off services to the South American country last month, citing U.S. sanctions against the socialist government, the men's lawyer said Friday. Carlos Villamizar, one of the three men, told reporters in his attorney's office before surrendering that he had no prior knowledge that the services were being ended and that he was innocent of any crimes. Villamizar said he was a victim along with at least 600 fellow DirecTV employees in Venezuela who lost their jobs under the decision made by the company's executives in the U.S. Villamizar then left the lawyer's office and surrendered at a feared Caracas jail called the Helecoide, where the other two men were believed to be held.

With the streaming wars intensifying this year, every service provider is looking for any advantage it can get in order to earn a piece of your monthly entertainment budget. The practice is also called zero-rating, and it has garnered considerable criticism over the years for undermining net neutrality and competition more broadly. AT&T will pay itself for sponsored data usage.

T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) has just completed its takeover of Sprint. Between this merger and its massive investment in 5G mobile technology, T-Mobile has become one of only three companies launching a 5G network across the U.S. Long an emerging player in the wireless industry, T-Mobile stock saw massive gains as the telco cut prices and gained market share during the 3G and 4G eras.

Picking the best dividend stocks to add to your investment portfolio requires more than looking for the highest yields. For years of dependable dividend income, you need to find well-run companies with solid business models capable of maintaining the dividend through tough economic times. The companies are listed in order of their dividend yields based on recent share prices.

Five years ago, AT&T (NYSE: T) bought DirecTV for $49 billion to become the largest pay TV provider in the U.S. and the world. At the time, AT&T believed it could bundle DirecTV's satellite TV channels into its pay TV and wireline businesses. AT&T also launched DirecTV Now, a streaming bundle of channels meant to challenge Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) and other OTT platforms.

When it comes to high-yield but stable dividend payments, AT&T (NYSE: T) is a solid option. The company's acquisition of Time Warner (now the company's Warner Media group) was a high price tag that racked up significant debt, and the media business is now in decline due to the economic lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19. For investors looking for income, then, American Tower (NYSE: AMT) may get overlooked.

If last week's headlines suggesting that telecom giant AT&T (NYSE: T) should shed its pay-TV service DirecTV rang familiar, there's a reason. Indeed, the idea that AT&T would be well-advised to sell its struggling satellite TV business has been in the back of a lot of investors' minds for a while now. It hasn't happened yet, of course, but the fact that discussions of it continue to be revived raises several questions, chief among them: What is DirecTV actually worth to AT&T?

Investors looking to add more dividend stocks to their portfolio have found dividend yields right now to be a bit disappointing, reflecting the broad environment. A handful of names still offer strong payouts compared to their stock's current price, and don't impose a huge degree of risk just to plug into that still-solid dividend payout. Telecom giant AT&T (NYSE: T) has seen better days.

Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T) have long operated as each other's main competitors. Now, together with T-Mobile, they continue to compete for wireless business as the telecom industry transitions to 5G. The approaches pursued by Verizon and AT&T have taken each of these telecom stocks on different trajectories.